The RMS Queen Mary

Long Beach, California

The Royal Mail Ship Queen Mary had a
long and illustrious career. Her early years began with her maiden voyage
on May 27, 1936, as the prize of the Cunard Line. She carried 1,742
passengers (708 in First Class; 631 in Second Class; 403 in Third Class);
a crew of 1,186 men and women; 100 reporters; 6,124 sacks of mail, and
during her maiden voyage, the BBC installed a number of microphones aboard
ship to broadcast the event around the world. In addition, three telephone
operators were in place to handle the 600 telephone receivers which were
locate in the First Class cabins, as well as on the ship's decks. The
passengers had the novelty of being able to ring each other on board, as
well as calling home while at sea.

The Queen Mary is not the first ship to be haunted, and it certainly won't
be the last. A ship that has traveled so long and so far, and has carried
so many people to so many places, has countless memories stored within the
rooms and corridors of its massive metal framework. There are cold spots,
phantom gusts of wind, objects moving or disappearing and unexplainable
electrical problems. One can hear the clanking of chains, oil drums
banging and footsteps echoing in the darkness. Some people hear glasses
clink and laughter ring out in the dead of the night, perhaps as part of a
continuing party from a bygone era.

In 1989, Scorpion was returning to Vladivostok from
Vietnam when it ran into a typhoon.
A mechanical breakdown which could not
be
fixed in time prevented the sub from diving.
The storm battered the boat
mercilessly, destroying the light hull and damaging the ballast
tanks
and high pressure air bottles. It limped back to Vladivostok where it was
repaired and refitted with a new light hull.

At the stern you can see the Carnival Cruise
Line new dock and the terminal is the Dome

The white box in the center of the roof is
the Wireless Room, ARALB / W6RO

Ramp at the bow is the Ghost and Legions entrance,
the second ramp is the Queen Mary Hotel Entrance.

Entrance to the Wireless Room and Radio Room

Open deck area was the ships Tennis Court

In the back ground on the left the new Carnival Cruise
Line Parting Structure.

Between the two stacks or funnels is the roof of
the Grand Ball Room.

The antenna between the stacks are the ships Marconi
antenna's not used now. They have a 40 meter dipole and
a DKN 10-80 meter attached, that we use now.

Looking forward toward the bridge, this is an example of
what the inside of the ship looks like. This upper midsection is just a huge
myriad of toothpicks arranged to form a skeletal form. As the work
progresses, all the bulkheads and upper works will take shape. The forward
sections are separated from the rest of the ship so fest goers can see the
hull and structure. The artist always exhibits his ships in this fashion.
Many people want to know what is on the inside. And it looks cool, almost
like the Titanic split in half.

Closer view of the hull from the water line. Here you can
see how straight the 25 foot line is from stem to stern. If you look real
close in this picture, you see the 1500 portholes drilled in the sides of
the ship. Covering the holes are little porthole covers made from thin gage
aluminum wire. Tedious work? you ask? Yes very tedious !